


You are in love

by inthedarhk



Series: Playlist Series [1]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:40:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23360344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inthedarhk/pseuds/inthedarhk
Summary: You can hear it in the silence,You can feel it on the way home,You can see it with the lights out,You are in love, true love.ORNora realises she is in love with Ray and all his gestures over the years have been signs that he is in love with her too. (Based off of You are in love by taylor swift )
Relationships: Nora Darhk/Ray Palmer, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Series: Playlist Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680175
Kudos: 15





	1. Coffee at midnight

It was 12:30 am on a cold December night, Nora was led in her bed trying to cover up the sound of her parents arguing downstairs, this wasn’t an unusual sound to her but that didn’t mean that every time she heard it it didn’t hurt her. They had been arguing for the past few weeks now and although Nora never actually heard what they were arguing about, she did hear parts before it went back to mumbling, clearly her mothers choice trying not to be too loud so that Nora didn’t hear but it was a little too late for that. The arguing eventually started to get louder so Nora grabbed her Phone from her bedside table and pulled up her most recent contact, her best friend Ray Palmer. 

“You still up?” she messaged knowing full well that he would be up at this time working on some science homework or some tech he had just recently invented. Within a few seconds she got a message back “ yeah, I can be there in five?” Nora smiled and replied back straight away “ Please” while quickly throwing on her outfit from earlier today, a plain t shirt and ripped jeans paired with her favourite trainers and her signature leather jacket on top. This had become a recent habit for the two, every time one of them were going through something or having a tough time at home they would go for a drive and grab some coffee then sit in the car and talk until they felt better no matter what time it was. 

Nora grabbed her phone and made her way to the front door she could still hear her parents in the kitchen at the back of the house meaning she could escape through the front door without them seeing her. By the time she made it to the front lawn Ray was already there. As soon as she got to the car door she started to feel better, it was the Ray Palmer effect just being in his presence made you feel better. As she got into the car he smiled at her and her heart dropped, he may be her best friend but there was something more between them and they both knew it, it was kind of an unspoken thing between them but if you were to ask any of their friends they would tell you that they were totally hooking up but that’s not the way Nora and Ray saw it, They were both just really good friends who were always there for each other and occasionally hung out outside of their friendship group but that’s just because they have known each other since they were young not because they were “doing it” as Nate would say. 

The drive was mainly silent, no one talking just the radio filling the silence. That was the thing that Nora loved so much about Ray He never pushed her into speaking about her feelings he would just wait until she was ready and then they would talk until they couldn’t no more. About a mile out of town close to their favourite coffee shop Ray finally spoke “The usual?” he asked referring to her favourite order from Jitters while pulling into the car park “you know it” she smiled back. “ I’ll be two minutes” he replied while getting out of the car and making his way to the front of the shop, Nora took a deep breath processing her moment alone, she dropped her head and closed her eyes while trying to gather all her thoughts. When she opened her eyes she noticed a small gold reflective light on the dashboard and instantly reached up to the chain around her neck, it was the necklace that ray gave her for her birthday last year. Memories of that day came flooding back, she remembers the way Ray surprised her with it so clearly. 

“Hey Nora come with me a minute, there’s something I got to show you out back” He smiled, earning some whistles and “whoos” from his friends while grabbing her free hand and pulling her out to the back garden leaving the loud party and their friends behind. As they got closer to the back door he stopped them both in their tracks “okay you ready?” he said nervously Nora raised her eyebrow at him “yes... I think oh my god ray is this where you propose?” she joked. Ray shook his head at her comment and began to laugh, He walked behind her putting his hands over her eyes “Raymond Palmer, what are you up too?” Nora asked suspiciously “just keep going forward” he said guiding her outside onto the back lawn once they reached the grass of Nora’s back garden he finally removed his hands “Okay, open your eyes”. Nora opened her eyes and was greeted by her garden covered in fairy lights and candles, even her old playhouse that she hadn’t used since they were both younger was covered “Wow Ray.. When did you have time to do this?” “When someone was a little too busy with whatever’s in that cup” he said nudging her with his shoulder while nodding towards the red cup still in Nora’s hand. “It’s beautiful.. I love it thank you so much” she said while wrapping her arms around her best friend “good because it’s not over yet” he spoke pulling his friend closer to him. She looked up at him with a confused expression on her face, He grabbed her hand once again and walked her further up the garden towards the old playhouse “Ray I don’t think now’s the time for a tea party with Mr. Snuggles” She laughed referring to the old games they used to play after school when they were younger “Just open it, dork” he spoke letting go of her hand. As she approached the front door of the playhouse she realised there were lights inside too , as the door opened with a hard pull due to the years of in activeness it revealed the same interior as it had always been but this time everything was covered in carefully placed fairy lights. Nora noticed that in the middle of the old tea table there was a blue rectangle shaped box. She looked over at ray while he pretended to be surprised at the box , She picked it up carefully and opened it “Ray” she gasped. Inside the box sat a gold chain with a small circle pendant with the words “forever and always” engraved. Her mind went back to all the times that her and Ray said forever and always to each other, a saying that they both made up when they were both in middle school “i love you forever and always” “I’ll always be your best friend, forever and always”. As tears started to fill her eyes she grabbed her best friend and pulled him into a tight hug “Thank you so much, it’s so beautiful. You didn’t have too” she said into his chest, its times like this she realised the height difference between them both. “It’s you Nor, Of course I am going to” She looked up at the taller man now meeting his eyes “I love you... always and forever” “Always and forever” He spoke holding his friend tighter. 

“And a hot chocolate with caramel sauce for the lady” Nora heard suddenly being brought out of her daze “Ah thank you sir!” she said grabbing her drink from his hands. “ So the mountain or just keep driving and see where we end up?” Ray asked starting the car back up “Mountain, for sure” .There were scenic mountains not too far from the coffee shop, they discovered them about 5 months ago when Ray was dealing with his Dad leaving his Mom , Nora drove them up vaguely remembering the route from when her father used to take her when she was younger, As you drive further up the mountain there is a small car park where you can park your car and just star gaze for hours. 

“I’m sorry that I messaged so late, it’s just that my parents are arguing again, about god knows what and I just couldn’t stick it anymore” Nora spoke suddenly. Ray detected the hurt in her voice and looked at her with sympathy before looking back at the road “I’m sorry Nor... Hey, if you don’t want too we don’t have to do this because I'm pretty sure it’s a special someone’s birthday tomorrow, we can just drive tonight and deal with it another day?” Nora’s heart skipped a beat as he referred to her as someone special. He never forgot her birthday and always made an effort to make the day special even when she didn’t want to celebrate. “That would actually be perfect”. 

Ten minutes later they both finally arrived at the top of the mountain, Ray parked the car and turned off the engine. Both getting out of the car at the same time ready to continue the same tradition. They both sat on the front of the car, Nora’s knees pulled to her chest while Ray sat with his legs stretched out in front of him. “So, Miss Darhk how do you feel about turning 18 tomorrow?” he said in his best interviewer voice scrunching up his hand pretending it was a mic. “Another trip about the globe, another year closer to death baby” Nora said with fake enthusiasm into Ray’s hand. Ray rolled his eyes laughing at the smaller brunette next to him. The air suddenly became cold and it sent a shiver down Nora’s shine, Ray noticed straight away and got up and walked to the back of his car. Nora looked to see where her best friend was going, he returned seconds later unravelling a small fleece blanket. He sat back down on the car while wrapping one side of the blanket around Nora’s shoulders and the other around his, Nora scooted closer to him so that the blanket would cover them both perfectly. Nora’s heart flipped at this action, Ray was always the perfect gentleman and he always did these little gestures that almost seemed romantic but she knew better than to think like that, she was sure that if any of their friends were here, he would do the same thing. They sat in silence enjoying the view and each other's company, there weren’t many people around but that wasn’t really surprising to either of them after all it was 1:30 in the morning. 

The hours started to pass and small talk began, the area getting quieter and quieter until eventually Ray and Nora were the only ones left, not that they even noticed they were both to busy being wrapped up in each other’s presence. Nora yawned while pulling the blanket closer to her chest she suddenly realised how tired she actually was “I suppose we better get you home” Ray said noting Nora’s yawn. Nora was suddenly brought out of the little world she and Ray had created over the past few hours, she was brought to reality and realised she had to go back home to a household with so much tension that you could cut it with a knife. “You know you can always just stay at mine tonight , you don’t actually have to go back” Ray spoke after there was no reaction to his previous comment. “No, it’s fine you’ve already gone out of your way enough for me tonight. I’m not about to intrude on your Mom as well” “Nor, you know that it’s no bother don’t be silly. Mum is on a late shift tonight so I'd only be going back to an empty house anyway... I'll make you some special Palmer waffles in the morning”. Nora raised her eyebrow in interest “well I do love those waffles” she spoke pretending that was what made her decision when really Ray could’ve said anything and she’d still prefer to go to his house than her own.


	2. You keep his shirt, He keeps his word.

Nora woke to the smell of coffee and fresh pastries, she immediately knew where she was -the Palmer household. She sat up in bed realising that Ray wasn’t beside her in the chair he chose to sleep in despite Nora’s insistence that she didn’t mind sharing a bed but he chose the gentleman approach and let her have the comfortable bed. She got up and made her way to the kitchen, she knew her way around this house like it was her own, she practically grew up in this house with Ray they were constantly spending time after school here eating the fresh pastry that Ray’s Mom baked earlier that day. As she entered the kitchen, she was greeted with the smell of Ray Palmer’s famous waffles and Ray himself hovering over the cooker. This was a sight Nora wanted to see more of, she wanted to wake up every day to Ray Palmer cooking in the kitchen and .. No she had to stop thinking like this He was her best friend and that was it, nothing more. 

She stood in the doorway watching Ray for a few seconds before he felt her presence, He spun around and caught sight of his best friend in his kitchen wearing his sweatpants and old science camp t shirt, he thought to himself how cute she looked. The joggers were too big for her so she rolled them up at the bottom and the t shirt was so baggy on her it made her look even smaller which Ray didn’t think was possible. “Good morning” he spoke trying to erase his thoughts. “Morning” Nora said entering the kitchen and grabbing a seat at the kitchen island. Ray placed a plate of waffles and a cup of coffee in front of her “ Happy birthday Nor” he said placing a kiss to her head as he always did, a habit he has had since they were young. Nora smiled at the waffles; he kept his word she thought remembering how he promised that he would make breakfast last night. “Thank you Raymond, these look great” she said taking a sip of her coffee. 

Ray sat down next to her with his own plate of waffles “So what are your plans for today?”. Nora suddenly realised that she didn’t have plans for her birthday, she had been too busy with school to even think about planning anything. “oh well I'm thinking some cake in front of the tv, y’know celebrate the crazy and wild way” she said in between bites. “Nope that simply will not do” Nora rolled her eyes playfully at the taller boy “oh and what will ?” she spoke knowing that Ray was about to tell her about the whole day that he had planned. “Well first we got to make a stop at your house so you can change and then the rest is a surprise”. Nora raised an eyebrow “ and can I object to this in anyway?” “Nope... now eat your waffles you got a big day ahead of you.. Or small, who knows?” he laughed. 

**** 

An outfit change and a fifteen minute drive later Ray pulled into the car park of the park they used to visit a lot when they were younger “What are we doing here?” Nora laughed while all the memories of playing here as a 8 year old flooded back. “I said it was a surprise” Ray shrugged getting out of the car and waiting for her to follow him. The walk from the car park to the park made Nora excited and anxious at the same time she never knew what to except from Ray and his surprises because every time she thought she had an idea of what was going on he would always go beyond and surprise her with something so much better. 

As they got further into the park Nora noticed a group of people surrounded with a tall sign and a blanket spread across the floor. As she got closer she realised that the group of people laughing loudly and throwing a ball around were her friends and the sign that was clearly homemade read “Happy Birthday Nora!!”. “Oh My God” she spoke in shock “Surprise” Ray whispered while wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close before letting go. Sara caught sight of the two “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” She shouted in Nora’s direction catching everyone’s attention “Happy Birthday “ the rest of the group shouted out of time which made them all laugh. She walked closer to the group and realised that the blanket was covered in all of her favourite snack foods each packed in their own plastic tubs. Zari, Charlie, Sara and Ava stood up to greet Nora, while Ray walked behind them to where a ball was being thrown by Nate and Wally. 

“Happy Birthday Nor” Ava spoke hugging her best friend. Everyone took their own turn to hug her and give her some birthday wishes before they sat down to enjoy the food in front of them. Eventually the hours started to pass and with each hour Nora’s heart grew a little warmer and she became more grateful for the life she had, she loved her friends so much they were all practically her family at this point, she didn’t know what she would do without them. “Thank you guys so much, you really didn’t have to do this for me” she said to her friends spread around the grass and blankets around her. “Of course we did, we love you Nora” Sara spoke looking across at the sunset while resting her head in Ava’s lap. “You should be thanking Ray” Charlie said under her breath but just loud enough for the rest of the group to hear, Zari sat up immediately and hit Charlies arm “Shut up”. Nora’s expression grew confused “Ray?” she questioned quietly while looking to her left, only to find him chatting away with Nate, far enough that he couldn’t hear the conversation being had. 

“Oh what, like she didn’t know” Charlie spoke “He didn’t want her to know, idiot” Zari replied. “Ray planned all this?” she questioned, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that it was ray who did all of this after everything he has done for her, but it did still shock Nora that he cared so much. “Of course he did, he’s had this day planned for the last two month’s, we were all sworn to secrecy but apparently that’s all out the window” Ava spoke shooting a look at Charlie who only brushed it off. “What..wh-” Nora started to speak “Because he’s completely in love with you” Charlie interrupted “CHARLIE” Zari, Sara and Ava shouted in unison. “Ray is not in love with me” Nora laughed, Sara sat up sighing “He is, Nor you got to know that”. Nora looked to Ava knowing that she would be the only one to tell her the truth, as soon as their eyes met Ava nodded. 

Suddenly everything became clearer to Nora, everything made sense. She was in love with her best friend and he is in love with her and all these gestures that he had been doing over the past few years was the proof. “I gotta talk him, don’t I ?” she spoke feeling a sudden weight on her chest but also a sense of relief, she was about to get all these feelings that have been piled on her for the past few years off of her chest. “You do” Zari spoke as Nora got up from her spot on the blanket. She took a deep breath before making her way over to Ray, as soon as she got close he felt her presence and looked her way and immediately smiled. “Hey Eleanor” Nate spoke “Nathaniel” She nodded before turning to Ray “Can we talk?” she spoke with a shaky breath. Rays expression changed straight away “sure... you okay?” She smiled back politely while Nate took the hint and made his way back towards the group. 

“Are you okay?.. Are you enjoying yourself, do you want to go home ? ” He spoke with worry in his voice. “I’m fine... thank you for today, and yesterday and most probably tomorrow too, thank you for always being there for me”. Ray instantly became confused “I’m always going to be here for you, what’s brought this on? Do you not like your picnic? I know they all spent ages trying to put this together and Nate spent at least two days making that banner” Ray gestured to the group and big banner hanging above them, now that he mentioned it Nora could see that it was Nate’s hand writing spiralled across the sheet in red paint. “No, no I love it seriously I do but I know you did it by your own Ray, just like everything you do for me you do it on your own every time” She stopped to take a breath “But I got to ask, why do you do it Ray?, Why me?, why all these gestures?”. Rays eyes grew sad as if he had done something wrong “Your my best friend Nora, I’m not not going to do any of this for you, you mean the world to m-” He spoke but got interrupted by Nora stepping closer and placing her hands on his neck and pulling him closer to her while standing on her tiptoes. Her heart skipped a beat and then she closed the space between them by pressing her lips to his. 

For a second he didn’t kiss back which sent panic down her spine, maybe her friends had read it all wrong and he really was just her best friend. That’s when she felt him kiss back and his hands on her hips pulling her closer to him, they stayed like this for awhile just taking each other in before having to break apart for air. “So that’s what I’ve been trying to put into words this whole time” he laughed “ me too” she laughed back placing her head on his chest and pulling him in for a hug. “ So I guess this makes us more than best friends now?” He spoke “ is that what you want?” Nora replied. “ More than anything” “me too” she smiled looking up at him “ I think I owe it to ten year old Nora to say I want this” “ oh yeah, I wouldn’t even tell ten year old Ray his nerdy heart couldn’t handle it”. She placed a small kiss on his lips “ i’m going to enjoy doing this, I’ve waited a long time to do it” she said giving him another kiss. “ We better get you back to everyone, I can’t be held responsible for taking away the birthday girl from her own birthday party” he spoke letting go of his grip on her waist. “Five more minutes” she pouted which caused him to laugh. “Later” He replied holding out his hand “fine” she sulked taking his hand and following his lead to their friends. 

************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys are enjoying you are in love, there is one more final chapter after this which i will upload next week sometime. let me know what you guys think!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed chapter one of you are in love! i wrote it last year sometime and thought that now might be the perfect time to actually publish it! i hope it entertains you in this time.


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